Category: food (Page 2 of 3)
food
Just clearing out some old drafts. I ate here after they just opened last year, since then tons of things have changed, Nate Appelman left and they’ve reworked the menu. I walked past there last month and the space still looks great but didn’t get a chance to eat their again.
A little surprised by this place, located in a quirky building off the downtown mall the food is good, some of the dishes seem to have 1-2 too many ingredients in them but the overall execution is fine. The pricing is a little higher then say Bizou or Maya but it’s not too far off. I would go back.
I’ve been eating with a vegetarian the last few weeks and in Seattle a dependable choice is Indian. There are plenty of them but we’ve narrowed it to Spice Route as our go to option. They serve a variety of Indian options from formal to snack food. They make something called an idly which i had never had before, it’s basically rice flour dough that’s steamed–like a chinese steamed bun without the filling. There is not much flavor but you dip it in a sauce. The vadas are also fantastic–they are a lentil flour based deep fried ‘doughnut.’
On our last visit we also discovered the trick to getting the tandoori roti the way we like it, ask for it a little well done and thinner then normal. It will be about 50% bigger then the normal ones (because it’s thinner when put in the oven), but it will have a nice char and be cooked all the way through. The spice level is ok but you have to push them if you want something extra spicy. Clientele are mostly Indians (if that makes a difference) and they are located next to an Indian grocery store if you need to pick up provisions for home. I would and plan on going back on my next visit to Seattle.
This place is a little strange in a number of ways. First it’s just past the ‘developed’ section of downtown Bellevue, tucked into the back corner of a shopping center next to an older post office. Second it’s really small and the people eating here are all chinese. The only english i heard was when i ordered my food (i can’t order in chinese, even if i look it). Great taiwanese style chinese food, they have a nice pork ‘burger’ which is pork belly, pickled mustard and peanuts on a steam bun ‘roll’. It’s not as sophisticated as the one at Momofuku but it’s much more honest. The noodle soup was ok, needed more spice but the noodles themselves were nice and chewy. I need to go back with a bigger group. It’s busy though, even on a thursday nite i had to wait about 30 minutes for a table at 7pm.
Small and busy fish and chips show in Alki WA (a little town across the water from downtown seattle). Fish and fried oysters were well cooked and fresh. The pricing is quite reasonable, not the best i’ve ever had but hardly anything to complain about. I would go back.
I’ve got a batch of restaurant feedback from some recent trips to Seattle. This is an upscale seafood restaurant in Bellevue near the Microsoft offices. It’s a nice room, good food but for the price it better be. They have good sushi but it feels a little wierd since it’s not a japanese sushi place (which there are plenty of in Seattle). I would go back but it’s quite expensive, value ratio is low.
maya-receipt.jpg, originally uploaded by minhi.
As usual the drinks were nicely done, the side dishes were solid. The pork chop was a little dry, cooked medium well but i would’ve preferred medium rare (yes even for pork) and they did not ask me when i ordered how i wanted it cooked.
Having eaten at the local recently i appreciate the upstairs room here, it’s quiet and much more civilized then the local which is really loud. I guess i’m getting old.
zinc-receipt.jpg, originally uploaded by minhi.
It’s taken a few visits but i think i finally get this place. Good bar, adequate food and most importantly low-key atmosphere. While the food has nevered blown me away, this visit was just what i wanted, it met my expectactions and i left perfectly satisfied.
I think the hanger steak at ‘the local’ is better, but you can order a half portion here.
mas-receipt.jpg, originally uploaded by minhi.
This was quite a few months ago so i’ll keep this short. I like the space but it’s pretty loud. Service at the bar was adequate but not great. The food was good and i would return but the menu is filled with a few landmines. There are great items and some less then great items. I think the typically long wait will discourage me from returning here. This is located a block away from ‘the local’ which also has long waits, just fyi if you were planning to have that as a backup (or vice-versa).